Segments in this Video

Gathering Storm: Introduction(04:08)

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Jack Black tours a home for sale on the Venetian Islands; rising sea levels are not a concern for a realtor's clients. See footage of major hurricanes. Ian Somerhalder discusses the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his family. He and his wife Nikki Reid will meet with scientists to discuss the impact of human-caused climate change on future storms. (Credits)

Miami, Florida(03:17)

Black meets with climate scientists and discusses whether rising sea levels are cause for concern for residents. See climate model projections for 2030, 2060, and 2100; they are proxies for all coastal cities of the world. Carbon dioxide emissions will do damage for decades.

Science Expedition(03:48)

Somerhalder and Reid board the research vessel Alucia. The group will travel to Cay Sal Bank to obtain ocean floor samples and learn about the history of hurricanes. Rising sea surface temperatures could result in hurricanes rising in frequency and intensity.

Acknowledging Rising Sea Levels(03:44)

Black reflects on the response to rising sea levels in Miami, FL. Mayor Philip Levine discusses the changes he implemented to help manage rising sea levels. Governor Rick Scott and the state cabinet do not see a sense of urgency.

Blue Hole(02:29)

Somerhalder reads information on climate change and increased hurricane intensity. Scientists aboard the Alucia arrive at the hole to take core samples.

Miami Underwater?(03:02)

Black questions the possibility of raising the city of Miami to protect it from rising sea levels. South Miami Mayor Phil Stoddard discusses the logistics of raising everything, the viability of sea walls, and the limestone foundation.

Scouting the Underwater Cave(05:45)

Somerhalder and the team descend into the blue hole. Jeff Donnelly explains what happens in a blue hole during a hurricane; sediment cores allow scientist to reconstruct hurricane events. The team deploys a tube to gather a core sample; it breaks.

Flooding in Mainland Miami(04:32)

More than half of the nearly 3 million people that live in the Miami area are low income or immigrants. Black meets with activist Nicole Hernandez-Hammer and local residents; high tide has flooded the neighborhood. Black reflects on the possibility of a migration away from the coast; Gov. Scott refuses to take his calls.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution(04:09)

Donnelly discusses the hurricane activity depicted in the blue hole core sample that dates back 1,000 years; hurricanes are sensitive to sea surface temperatures. In 1821, a Category 3 hurricane traveled the eastern seaboard; port facilities and homes are vulnerable to storms.

Denial in Miami(02:44)

Black reflects on what he would do if he was a Miami resident. Lise Van Sustern states that our brains are partly wired to deny unpleasant emotions.

People in Harm's Way(02:44)

Somerhalder and the science team discuss what it is like knowing that increased storms like Hurricane Katrina are in the future and the lack of political will to address climate change.

Fight against Climate Change(03:12)

Delaney Reynolds tries to educate as many people as possible; her focus is on children. Keren Bolter states that Miami is number one in vulnerability and what happens in the city will "wake-up" the world. Reynolds will participate in the Breakthrough Miami event. (Credits)

Description

Jack Black explores how Miami and other low-lying coastal areas can survive rising sea-levels caused by climate change. Although the political and business community is largely in denial, and many locals are unaware of the cause of the increasing flooding, he finds a few legislators, residents, activists and scientists racing to solve the problem before disaster strikes. Ian Somerhalder travels to the Bahamas where he looks at historical evidence and explores a blue hole, diving and taking core samples of the ocean floor with scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to learn how the warming of the oceans' surface will increase the strength and destructiveness of hurricanes and superstorms.